Worth Fighting For
by Vira Xyn
Summary: After Harry breaks Ginny's heart at Dumbledore's funeral, what will it take to make him realize that he can't live without her?  Spread through Seventh Year, and the summer before, an AU take on the last book.  Focus on HG, but there'll be some RHr, too.
1. Decisions Under the Starry Sky

A/N: Welcome one and all! I'm Vira Xyn, and this is my first fic! Please be gentle, I've done a lot of reading, but not much writing. Anyway, without further ado, I give you...

Disclaimer: Ha, gotcha, you were expecting the title, not this note that says that I don't own anything even remotely connected to Harry Potter (except the books of course, mmmm my pretties... cough anyway, JK Rowling owns Harry and Ginny, not I, no sir no way. Now, without further ado, I give you...

**Worth Fighting For**

**Chapter 1 - Decitions Under the Starry Sky**  
An HP fanfiction, by Vira Xyn

Summer had started on a sour note for Ginny Weasley. There had been Dumbledore's funeral, then Harry had broken her heart in one of his noble, protective, and oh so idiotic gestures. How could he think that not being together would be better? She loved him, and was pretty sure he loved her back, damnit! As she lie awake that night she wondered, and not for the first time, what he had been thinking. That she'd be happier to be safe, than to be with him? That she wasn't already a target, just for being the only daughter of a known family of bloodtraitors, not even to mention the sister of one of the Trio. Surely Snape, that bloody traitorous bastard, had told his precious Dark Lord all about Harry's friends. Hell, he probably had their pictures on his dartboard for target practice..

She rolled over to stare out the window. He would be here tomorrow, in the room right next to her, so close that she'd hear him if he snored. Not that it would matter. She could be sitting on his lap, and he'd never react. He'd probably already locked his heart in the cold dark place he sent it when he was afraid to hurt. When Sirius had died, his heart had gone away. Not that Ginny was one to puff up her ego too much, but she liked to think she'd had some help in coaxing it back into the light. Now, she was the reason he locked it away. To keep her safe, yes that was part of it. She knew there was another bit too though, he had to make himself feel better about putting his life on the line to defeat Voldemort. Oh, how she hated that name. Stupid Riddle and his Dark Lord complex, that's all it was! Guy kills a few people; gets some crazed, power hungry followers, and he thinks he's Merlin's gift. Tommy was just lucky that she wasn't allowed near him. She had something of a score to settle, between the ordeal he'd put her through in her first year, and what he'd put Harry through his whole life.

As she stared out the window, her resolve began to harden. Why should she and Harry suffer for the Dark Tosser's pleasure? Why shouldn't they have each other, and maybe, just maybe have some fun, too? Ron and Hermione got to have each other (or they would if her big brother ever got his head out of his arse and admitted he loved the poor girl. Anyone could see they had it bad for each other) they were both targets, and Harry didn't try to protect them. Something occurred to her just then. Harry did try to protect them. He tried to leave them behind; he'd tried last year when they'd gone to the Department of Mysteries! They hadn't had any of it, even Ginny had been allowed to go when she'd stood up to him. Maybe that was it, maybe all she had to do was stand her ground, show him she wouldn't just go away and leave him to suffer in silence.

"Bugger, why didn't I think of that before," she whispered to herself as a smile slipped across her face, her first real one since the funeral. She had a lot of planning to do, not to mention some shopping, and maybe a haircut.. Yeah, that would get him. Make him really think about what he was missing, then when he couldn't get her out of his head, she'd hit him with the logic. Ginny was actually grinning at this point, when suddenly she jumped, nearly falling out her window. She groaned and looked at the offending door, when she heard the soft knock again.

"Ginny?" the youngest of the Weasley brothers called softly. Ginny groaned inwardly, but went to the door to let Ron in.

"What's up Ron? You're up kind of late, and here I figured you'd be getting lots of beauty rest before Hermione gets here tomorrow," she said, a knowing twinkle dancing in her eyes. She motioned for her brother to enter, and closed the door behind him. When she turned back from the door, Ron was watching her with an odd look on his face. That and the fact that he wasn't blushing madly at her crack about Hermione were making her a bit nervous. She decided to play it off though, and gave him a smile. "What is it? Do I have something on my nose?"

"What?" he said, coming out of his stupor. Ron didn't credit himself as being the most perceptive man on the planet (most would say he was closer to dead last, as long as it took him to notice a certain wavy haired Gryffindor), but every once in a while, he would catch the quaffle when it was thrown. He stuttered out his answer finally, "No, your nose is fine. Its just, Ginny, I think that may be the first real smile I've seen on you all summer."

"Oh, really? I must just be excited about Hermione coming over tomorrow," she replied, trying to be nonchalant. If her brother knew she was planning on seducing (or maybe re-seducing?) his best mate he wouldn't let the two of them out of his sight all summer. Then they'd go back to school, and back to worrying about Tom, the Dark Twat, and that would be that. She'd die old and alone, heartbroken, with her several dozen cats. Oh sure, she'd have a large beautiful house, but it would be all for the cats.

"Yeah, that must be it. I'm rather looking forward to her coming over too," Ron said, his eyes getting a far off look for a moment, before he came back and realized what he'd said, "and Harry too of course. Sorry little sis."

"Ron, its fine. You don't have to walk on bloody eggshells with me. Harry and I broke up, its not the end of the world," she lied, because it sure as hell felt like it to her. "There'll be other boys."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," muttered Ron, looking at his little sister.

"Ronald Bilius Weasley! What did you just say?" hissed Ginny, her eyes narrowing to slits as she advanced on her brother. Ron was looking rather nervous, perhaps remembering that he didn't have his wand, and she did. Ginny got right up to him, her face looking up into his. Ron may have had some pretty good height on her, but the youngest Weasley made up for it in pure venom. "I had better not have heard you threatening to interfere in my future relationships. At least I hope that's not what you said, for your sake.. If it was, just remember, I know all of your secrets. Every embarrassing thing you've ever done? I have records of it, and if you so much as put an eyebrow into my love life again, I'll make sure that those records go straight to Hermione."

"Hermione wouldn't ever hold something like that against me," Ron started to protest, but Ginny cut him off.

"Then a second set would go to a certain set of twins, who run a certain joke shop, who would then be instructed to do whatever they see fit with said records," she said, her voice soft and even, which really, was even more terrifying than if she'd yelled. Ron gulped and looked around nervously.

"You wouldn't do something like that," he said, his voice breaking a bit.

"I think it would be best not to tempt me, Ronald," she said, and suddenly his little sister was back across the room, smiling pleasantly at him. "Now what did you say?"

"I said, uh, I said that you should get to bed, its getting late," he said, wiping a bit of sweat from his brow. "I'm going to turn in myself, lots to do tomorrow. G'night Ginny."

"Goodnight Ron," she said sweetly, waiting until he'd retreated from her room (and at nearly a run, that didn't take long) then she beat her pillow, suppressing the urge to scream in frustration. It was bad enough that she had six older brothers, but when they started in on that overprotective bollucks, it was enough to make a girl crazy.

After extinguishing her light, she curled up on her bed, still fully clothed. She was still mad at Ron, but what truly occupied her thoughts, and deprived her of sleep were her plans for tomorrow. She would have to get up early, hopefully get downstairs while only her mum was up. She needed to go into Diagon Alley, and possibly even muggle London. She also needed her mum not to go with her, which was going to be a piece of tricky work all in itself. With a final sigh of frustration, Ginny realized she wasn't going to get any sleep anytime soon. This wasn't the first time this problem had arisen, and it was one of the times that she appreciated the Twins most. After the incident with the Chamber in her first year, she'd had a lot of trouble sleeping. Her brothers, never being ones for the conventional means of treatment, had figured that maybe she just needed some time to sort out her thoughts. They'd shown her a path that led to a small clearing they'd discovered, and had promised to never tell anyone else about. Then George had held out his hand to her. In it he held what looked like a small ball of yarn. She'd looked up at him, very confused.

"Its Leviosa Rope," he'd told her, a proud smile on his face. Fred picked up the narrative here, switching off, as the twins tended to do. "We invented it ourselves. You just tie one end here, to your bed, then toss the other end out the window."

"Then you grab hold, and say 'Decendo' if you want to go down the rope," continued George, "You'll float gently to the other end of the rope, which should be on the ground."

"When you want to come back up, just say 'Accenta' and it will take you back up," finished Fred. "Bloody brilliant isn't it?"

She'd just stared at them in awe, before jumping on them and hugging them fiercely. It had been the best thing anyone had done for her. Well, except maybe Harry, but he was the one who rescued her, so he didn't really count. Now, tonight, she needed to use her retreat once more. She hadn't been there much the last couple summers, but she knew the way by heart. After stretching the Leviosa Rope from her bed and tossing it to the ground, Ginny grabbed hold and whispered, "Decendo."

A few minutes later, she was lying on the ground, looking up at the stars. She'd pretty much planned out tomorrow on the walk to her clearing, but it was still nice to just get out of the house. Now, there was no doubt that Ginny loved her family, but sometimes you just need to get out and know that you're by yourself. Okay, maybe not the best thing to do while there's a war between the light and the dark going on, but she wasn't thinking about that tonight. No, her mind was on one thing and one thing only. How to win back Harry Potter, and damn if her plan wasn't a good one.

A shooting star flashed across her vision, the long tail seeming to linger after the body was long gone. Ginny smiled and closed her eyes, quietly making a wish.

"I wish for strength, so that I can stand up for myself. I've got to go up against Harry, who is going to be hard enough, but then I have to deal with my brothers as well," she whispered, not daring to disturb the night with her voice. "I wish for patience, and the ability to hold my temper, because I know Harry, and with all his high noble intentions, he's not going to make this easy."

A small tear slipped from her full eyes, trailing quickly down her pale, freckled cheek. She wiped it away with one finger, still looking up at the sky. Finally she looked down, and curled up a bit, closing her eyes. Just as she was starting to drift off, she smiled again and muttered softly to herself.

"I wish for love," she said, and the smile stayed gently on her lips as she slipped off to sleep.

The dawn found Ginny running back to the Burrow, muttering under her breath and shivering. No matter how wonderful and romantic it seemed, to fall asleep under the stars on a beautiful summer's night, one should always remember that in the morning, there would be dew.. And waking up in damp clothes, is not at all a pleasant experience.

"Shit, shit, shit," she chanted, hurrying toward her window. Luckily the sun had woken Ginny from her slumber shortly after it had peeked over the horizon, so it was still nice and early. She grabbed the Leviosa Rope and whispered for an accent. Back in her room, the damp redhead struggled out of her shirt and jeans before grabbing a black tank top, and a pair of cute tan Capri's. She pulled a set of underwear out of her dresser and the matching red bra. Then, clad only in a pair of pink and purple boyshorts, she hurried quietly down the hall, locking the bathroom door and jumping into the shower as soon as it was warm.

An undisclosed time later (because no one should judge a girl on her shower time) a refreshed, and nearly awake, Ginny stepped out of the bathroom. She slipped into her room, tossed the damp and dirty clothes into a hamper, and looked in the mirror. After magically drying her hair, she pulled it up into a quick ponytail. No need to do anything special with it, as she planned to get it cut while she was out. She put on the tiniest bit of makeup; just enough to give her pale cheeks some color, then headed down to where she could already hear breakfast being made.

"G'morning mum," she said as she bounced into the kitchen. The youngest Weasley grabbed some toast and a bit of bacon, before folding it into a sandwich and tucking in.

"Oh, good morning Ginny dear," her mother said pleasantly, "You're up rather early this morning. Special plans?"

"Actually yes, I was hoping to run into Diagon Alley," she said carefully. This would be the tricky part. If she screwed this up, her plan's timing would go all to hell. "I want to pick up some things for Hermione and I, and maybe get some new clothes before school starts again."

"Oh, of course dear," her mother said, thinking this all sounded very reasonable. She only had one concern, "But who's going to accompany you? I need to stay here and get ready for our guests, and everyone but you and Ron are out of the house now. Could your brother go with you?"

"Actually mum," she said, laying on the charm, "I was hoping I could just run out by myself. I promise I'll be real careful, and besides, it'll go faster if it's just me. If I take Ronald I'll have to talk him into going in all girly shops that I need to go in, and that'll take extra time. Plus he'll be really uncomfortable, and I don't know if I'll be back before Harry gets here or not. You know Ron will want to be here for that."

Molly thought this over for a moment. Yes, it was true that Ron would cause a stink if she made him go into the girly stores that Ginny liked so much. And yes, Harry was arriving before Hermione, and Ron would want to be here for that. She was just worried; there had been so many attacks recently, and after the mess at the Ministry.. But, she supposed that she couldn't keep her babies young forever.

"Alright, but you promise me you'll be back no later than three o'clock," she said sternly, looking Ginny in the eyes.

"Of course mum!" her daughter replied happily. She couldn't believe it, she'd been expecting to have to put up a fight! Today was going perfectly, well aside from waking up soaking wet, that hadn't really been all that pleasant, she supposed. "I'll see you late mum!"

"Ginny dear, wait one moment," she said, wiping her hands off on her apron and pulling a small dish down from the cupboard. Pulling the lid off, Molly pulled a small sack that clinked when she shook it. She handed the sack to Ginny. "You get some nice new clothes, no silly hand-me-downs from your brothers this year."

"Mum! How did you.." she trailed off, shocked at her mother. They were always tight on money, and here she was, handing over a small stash to her daughter. Ginny felt guilty for a moment, but then her dual X chromosomes kicked in and she saw her shopping horizons expanding. "Thank you so much mum! I'll be home before three!"

Rushing over to the floo, she tossed down a handful of powder and directed herself toward Diagon Alley. Upon stumbling out of the floo and dusting herself off, Ginny headed immediately toward Sylvia Sylver's Syntillating Styles. It was the newest, most up and coming hair salon in the magical London and the perfect place to begin her plan. A small bell chimed as she entered. There were only a few people in this time of the morning, which had been Ginny's plan all along.

"Hello darling, can I help you?" asked a young witch at the counter. Her short black hair was cut at angles around her head, and she had two platinum blonde streaks framing her face. Ginny smiled, this was going to be fun.

"Yes, I need a cut and style, and no, I don't have an appointment," she said, still smiling, she already knew exactly what she wanted, no need to even look at the styling pictures who were waving for her attention.

"No problem dear, you're early enough that I can slip you right in," replied the girl, "I'm Vivian, just call me Viv, and I'll be handling you. You know what you'd like done?"

"Yep, just lead the way Viv, its time for a whole new me!" she said excitedly.

An hour and a half later, Ginny got up out of the chair. Her normally shoulder length hair had been magically lengthened so that it reached the small of her back, and had been styled so that it fell in gently curling waves. They'd decided to add to the affect of her fiery hair, and had treated it with a potion that accentuated the effect. It made her hair a bit darker, but it was lighter underneath, making it look like burning embers. Ginny grinned at herself in the mirror. Harry wasn't going to know what hit him, it was perfect!

"Happy dear?" asked Viv, smiling at her. The girl had wonderful hair, and she'd hardly had to do anything at all to bring out its beautiful shine and body. She'd also added a little bit of eye shadow to her simple makeup job, giving her a more mysterious air.

"Its brilliant! Thank you so much," Ginny cried, nearly jumping up and down. "How much do I owe you?"

"It'd normally be twenty-one sickles, but I'll give you the student discount since you're going to Hogwarts," she said smiling. She'd been a Ravenclaw herself, and still had lots of school loyalty. "Twelve sickles and 4 knuts."

"Here you go, just keep the change Viv, its amazing," she beamed, handing her fifteen sickles. Her mum had been really generous, and Ginny had some savings of her own to use as well.

"Thanks Ginny, good luck with your boy problem!" Vivian called as the redhead left the store.

The rest of the day went uneventfully as Ginny slipped from Diagon Alley to some of the nearby muggle shops. She picked up a few new shirts, a really pretty Asian top (it was black and red with a Mandarin collar and cute little red wooden toggles instead of buttons), some new jeans that made her arse look great (if she did say so herself, which she did). She also got a pair of strappy black open toed heels, which went great with the Asian top, and a couple pairs of muggle shoes called Chuck Taylor's, that were just really cute. One was red with a white toe, and the other was black with flames on the toe. She loved them!

Slipping her wizarding robes back on, she lugged her bags into the Leaky Cauldron, where Tom, the barkeep, let her borrow a room for a minute to changer her clothes. She pulled off her robes; her clothes, and after making sure that the door was locked, slipped out of her undergarments as well. Blushing she pulled out a back that she'd hidden at the bottom of one of the others. She slipped a lacy black thong from it, and pulled it on, as well as the matching bra. The bra was enchanted to give her the best possible fit and positioning for whatever shirt she had on. Grabbing a new white button down shirt from her bag, she put it on and smiled in the mirror. The bra did as advertised, giving her just a bit of cleavage and helping the shirt catch her curves in just the right spots. After pulling on a pair of jeans (the ones that made her arse look good) she looked in the mirror and smiled, little Ginny Weasley had grown up..

After thanking Tom, she stepped into the floo, her bags in hand. She had also slipped on her flaming Chucks, and was all set to make Harry drool. She walked calmly out of the fireplace in the Burrow, to find that no one was around.

"Just like them," she muttered, hurrying to put her things in her room, then go find them. "Waste of a perfectly good entrance, first time I've not gotten soot all over myself. Bloody prats.."

Ginny muttered all the way downstairs, and out into the backyard. She could hear voices out by the street, and looking at her watch, she realized that she was right on time to greet Hermione too. She couldn't wait to see her friend, and possibly enlist her into the plan as well.

"Hermione dear, it's so good to see you. Arthur and I are so glad you can spend the rest of the summer with us," her mum was saying, she could almost hear the bone breaking hug she would have just pulled Hermione into.

"Hey 'Mione, missed you these last few weeks," she heard a male voice say, and she choked, stopping in mid-stride. She wavered for a moment as she heard Harry continue. Suddenly, this close to him, Ginny wasn't sure if she could do it. Could she really face him, the wounds so raw, and pretend it never happened? Because that was the only way this was going to work. She had to push aside the pain, and make him remember why he loved her. She set a smile on her face and took a deep breath. She could do this; after all she _was_ a Weasley.

"Hermione!" She squealed, running around the corner and grabbing her friend's hands. The brown haired girl squealed back and they jumped up and down, in the manner that schoolgirls do, for some time.

"Ginny, its so good to see you!" her friend said, finally letting go of her hands and stepping back. She gave the redhead an appraising look, then nodded and smiled, her eyes twinkling. There was a reason this girl was called the brightest witch of her age. Ginny smiled and winked at her friend, then turned to Harry.

"Harry, its good to see you too," she said, her voice friendly as she reached up and hugged him, before he had a chance to stop her. He flailed awkwardly for a moment, then blushed but hugged her back.

"Its good to see you too, Ginny," he said, then he actually looked at her. Really looked at her. She smiled at him, and only at him, then turned and walked over to Hermione, giving him a decent view of the reason she loved these jeans.

"Harry dear, why don't we get Hermione's things inside and let her catch up with Ginny?" Mrs. Weasley said to him, more a statement than a question. He grabbed her bags, nodding at Ron's mum, then motioned with his head for Ron to follow him with the rest of the luggage. As he turned to go, he saw Ginny turn and catch his eye, then wink at him. He then proceeded to nearly trip over his own jaw, seeing as how it had just dislodged and hit the ground.

After he had gone, Ginny breathed a huge sigh, letting out all the tension that had been building in her. She'd done it. Not only that, but the look on his face when she winked at him! That was priceless. Hermione turned to her.

"Ginny, you are evil. Pure, unfiltered evil," Hermione said. It would have almost sounded like she was scolding her friend, except that she then grinned wickedly and put her arm around her shoulders, "Whatever your plan is, I'm in one hundred percent!"

A/N: That's it kids! The very first chapter of my very first story and I hope you all love it. I'm so bloody excited!!! Please let me know what you think, I'll love you forever if you review. I'll try to respond to questions as quickly as I can, but I work mornings, so don't expect anything before evening. Also, I'm planning on continuing this into seventh year, so if anyone would be interested in proof reading for me, just let me know. I hope to update this fairly frequently, and I've already started chapter 2, so maybe we'll have another lovely chapter soon!

Lots of love,

Vira Xyn


	2. Miles Apart but Closer Than You Know

A/N: Hey kids! Welcome to Chapter two! This chapter overlaps the first one, but its more what Harry did that day. Now, on with the show, after a short..

Disclaimer: Same as before, I don't own Harry Potter, or any part of his universe. We now return you to your regularly scheduled fic!

**Worth Fighting For**

**Chapter 2 – Miles Apart, But Closer Than You Think**

An HP fanfiction, by Vira Xyn

A shooting star crossed a certain messy haired youth's vision as he lay on his back in his aunt and uncle's yard. He knew it was late, and that Uncle Vernon would be right pissed if he woke up and found him outside, but Harry didn't care. He couldn't sleep, couldn't stop thinking about Ginny. Her image danced in his mind ever time he closed his eyes. Her fiery red hair, those deep chocolate brown eyes, and her cute little freckles. He could hear her laughter echoing in his ears, though it had been weeks since he'd heard it. He could almost taste her lips, though they'd only kissed a precious few times. He hated himself for breaking her heart, but did she realize how it broke his to do it? He wanted nothing more than for her to be with him as he went to face the Dark Git. Merlin knew he could use the support. Not that Ron and Hermione weren't supportive, but they were getting closer and closer to telling each other how they felt, and then they'd mostly be supporting each other. Not that he could blame them, but still, he felt like something of a third wheel now, and they weren't even together yet.

"Damn you Tom, why do I have to suffer for you?" Harry asked himself, looking again at the night sky. There were no more shooting stars, but he consoled himself with the thought that Ginny might be looking up at these same stars. Or, if she was smarter than he was (which he was pretty sure she was) she was asleep by now. He hoped she was okay, that she'd moved on, though a part of him prayed that she hadn't. No matter how hard he tried to be noble and protective, there was always that part of him that wondered if it even mattered. Now that Snape had gone over (that great greasy prick) surely Tom knew that the Weasley's were arrayed against him. They supported Harry and the Order. Not to mention that Snivellus the Greasy knew that he and Ginny had been together. Wasn't she already a target, didn't consider her family to be bloodtraitors? He sighed, it was starting to get early, he should really go to sleep. Not that he'd be able to. At least tomorrow he'd be going to the Burrow. As odd as it might be, even though Ginny would be right there, it would be easier not to think about her if he had Ron and Hermione to help distract him. He needed to get on with things, not pine over his mate's little sister.

Harry stopped himself, he was getting too far ahead, did he really want to get over Ginny? He still had hopes that maybe, just maybe after all this was over they'd be able to pick up where they left off. Well, maybe not exactly where they left off, because Harry was pretty sure he would need to do some major groveling before a certain redhead would forgive him. If she would forgive him..

He got up with a sigh, if he was out here any longer, he'd end up covered in dew. Which, as he was sure everyone knew, was something to be avoided. And anyway, he needed at least a bit of sleep before going to Ron's. And maybe the universe would smile on him, and ol' Tommy would drop dead of a heart attack. Who knows, maybe the Dark Lord is a fast food addict. He chuckled quietly as he snuck back into his room, the idea of Voldemort ordering from McDonalds was almost too much.

"Give me a large Number Five with a Coke," imaginary Tom said, "And no onions, FILTHY MUGGLE!!!"

He was still smiling at the thought as he pulled off his clothes, and climbed into bed. He'd normally have to be up in only two hours to make his aunt, uncle and cousin breakfast, but they'd been informed that he would be leaving by floo to go to the Burrow. The Order had come up with a way to secure a set path, something about making a direct magical connection, but Harry had stopped listening at the point that they said 'floo' because he hated that thing. Ever since that time in Knockturn Alley.. But anyway, Tonks would be there around eleven-thirty to make the connection. His uncle Vernon had declared that they would not be present for such 'utter rubbish' and so they'd gone to his sister's house for the day. Harry was glad they were gone, it wouldn't give his uncle time to get in a parting shot. Hopefully he'd never have to see that repulsive man again. Nor any of his three chins, either. With a final sigh, Harry removed his glasses and closed his eyes, sleep finding him much faster than he'd thought it would.

The next morning Harry awoke with a start. Something had just landed on his bed. He opened his eyes to find a fuzzy looking shape with a lot of pink at its top, curled up next to him. Once he'd put his glasses on, and could see what exactly the shape was, he began blushing furiously.

"T-Tonks! What are you, that is.. Why are you in m-my bed?" he managed to stammer, which only made Tonks grin wider. She let out a very school-girl-esque giggle and ran her fingers through his unruly black hair.

"Wotcher Harry," she said happily. Her hair shifted from pink to blue to purple as she sat up and stretched. "I came to take you to the Burrow, but you were still asleep, and you had this funny grin on your face. It was just too cute to resist, so I thought I'd curl up with you and wait for you to wake up. Hope you don't mind Harry luv."

"Hope I d-don't mind?" He nearly yelled, thinking about what Gi.. Well, actually he didn't really need to worry about what anyone would think. And waking up next to Tonks wasn't really that bad, she was pretty cute, even if she was older than him. That thought made him blush even harder, if such a thing were possible, and Tonks giggled again.

"Ah Harry, you're so easy to get riled up. Now c'mon and grab you things, we're due at the Burrow in a half hour," she said, getting up off the bed. She looked around at his already packed things, and the pile of clothes waiting for him on a chair. "On second thought, you're mostly packed already, why don't you go shower, and I'll take your things downstairs?"

"That'd be fine Tonks, thanks," he said, getting up out of bed. He was across the room picking up his clothes before a wolf whistle from Tonks reminded him that he was only in his boxers. He turned a red that would have gone perfectly with Ginny's hair, and bolted out of the room, followed by the sounds of Tonks' laughter.

Twenty minutes later, Harry was trying to get his hair to behave. He'd put on an orange Chudley Cannons t-shirt that Ron had gotten him, and a pair of faded blue jeans, and for the last five minutes had been contending with his hair. It seemed determined to look even messier than usual. Throwing up his arms in defeat he stormed out of the bathroom to find Tonks. She was downstairs with all his things, not that 'all his things' consisted of much more than his school trunk, Hedwig's cage, and a duffle bag, but that was beside the point.

"Ready Harry?" she asked, still grinning at him. One of these days, he'd get her back for this. Maybe he could enlist the Twins' help, he knew they were always up for a prank. He smiled at the thought, and maybe a bit of his intentions showed through, because Tonks' smile faltered just a bit.

"Sure Tonks, you grab my trunk, and I'll get Hedwig's cage and my duffle," he said pulling on his favorite pair of grey Etnies. He turned and gave one last look around. This had been his home for eleven years, before losing that title to Hogwarts. Now this was just a place he stayed between times at school or the Burrow. He really didn't think he'd miss it. "Lets go."

They stepped into the floo, calling out for the Burrow as they went. Soon Harry was spinning and twisting, other fireplaces flashing by him at a nearly alarming rate. It seemed like the trip took a bit longer than usual, but that might have been because of the extra security, or his own anxiousness. Then finally, the Burrow was in sight. He tried to prepare himself for it, but in the end he stumbled and rolled out of the floo, just like always.

"Bloody stupid things.." he muttered, he couldn't wait until his birthday when he could Apperate legally.

"Harry dear! You're here, lets get you cleaned up and get you something to eat," said Mrs. Weasley as soon as he'd popped out of the fireplace. She pulled him up and waved her wand over him, then over at the rubbish bin, and all the soot flew from one to the other. She then pulled him into one of her trademarked Mrs. Weasley's Bone Crushing Hugs. He couldn't help but smile. After she released him, Ron came over and took his hand, giving it a shake and pulling him into one of those silly half hugs that boys do to seem manly.

"Good to see you mate, you're the first here, Hermione won't arrive until a bit later, and Ginny's gone into London for some kind of girly thing, I don't know," Ron said with a shrug. He'd woken this morning to find his sister long gone. He wasn't really worried about it, in fact, it made things a bit easier as he didn't have to worry about tension between his sister and his best mate. "You're gonna have Fred and George's old room, across from mine. Don't worry, mum's cleaned it since they moved out, even managed to remove the smell!"

"Sounds great Ron," Harry said, a little voice in the back of his mind telling him that not only was the room across from Ron, but it was right next to Ginny. He shooed the voice away, trying not to think about her. He'd been a bit disappointed when she hadn't been there to greet him, but he supposed there was no real reason for her to be. He'd hoped they could still be friends, but he hadn't really counted on it. He'd miss talking to the fiery girl, but if it meant keeping her safe, it was worth it.

"You want to get a quick flight around the pitch in before 'Mione gets here?" Ron asked, nodding his head toward the clearing where he and his brothers (and their sister) played Quidditch.

"Sure!" he said excitedly. Vernon wouldn't dream of letting him fly around Privet Drive, so Harry had left his Firebolt with Ron. It would be great to fly again! He picked up his bag and the cage again. "Can you grab my trunk, Ron? I want to get this stuff out of your mum's way, then we'll go. You've better have been taking care of my Firebolt while I was away."

"No worries, oh great one. I've been taking real good care of her," Ron said, holding his hands up and backing away in mock fear. He laughed and grabbed Harry's trunk, lugging it up the stairs behind him. After dropping off his things, Harry changed into an old grey long sleeve shirt that he didn't really care about. He'd ruined a favorite t-shirt the last time he'd taken a fall from a broom, no sense in repeating the incident. This done, he hurried downstairs after Ron.

"Mum, Harry and I are going out for a fly around the yard," he said, stopping by the back door.

"Okay dear, but be back and cleaned up before Hermione gets here," his mother warned. She was already buzzing around the kitchen working on dinner. Molly did so love it when she had guests to cook for.

"O' course, mum," Ron said, rolling his eyes a bit. Molly looked up at just that moment, and was about to scold him when he cut her off. "Well, come on Harry, lets go!"

Harry gave Mrs. Weasley an apologetic look before hurrying after Ron, chuckling to himself.

"That was a close call mate," he said, catching up to him just outside the broom shed. "Your mum is gonna give you an earful when we get back. Well, if she remembers to, she looked pretty intent on making us all fat before school starts."

"Yeah, you know mum, she thinks those muggles of yours starve you," he winced and looked at Harry, who'd dropped a bit of weight in the short weeks since they'd left school. "Of course, she's right, so you can't really blame her.."

"I suppose," conceded Harry, pulling his Firebolt out of the shed. Ron had been telling the truth, it was in perfect condition. He turned it in his hands a few times, just enjoying the feel of it. If there was one thing about Harry Potter that anyone could tell you, it was that he loved to fly. It was the one time when all the pressure and weight just lifted off him. He could soar and dive, and there wasn't a bloody thing anyone could do about it.

"Brilliant Ron, it looks great!" he said, grinning at his friend. He gave Ron's Cleansweep an appraising eye as well. It wasn't as good as his Firebolt, but then, what broom was? It was still a great broom, and his friend was lucky to have it. "The Cleansweep looks great too, Ron. What did you do, spend all your free time cleaning them?"

"No," came a sheepish reply, and between that and the red coming to his friend's ears, told Harry that Ron had indeed spent all his free time cleaning them. He laughed as they mounted the brooms and lifted off. Ron came along side him and yelled to him, holding up a quaffle. "What to toss it around for a while? We should stay in practice you know, never hurts!"

"Sure, sounds great," he said, once again feeling a pang of guilt for his plan not to return to Hogwarts. He'd really miss Quidditch, and he knew Ron would too. He pushed the feeling aside as Ron tossed the ball his way, overshooting him a bit, and causing him to have to dive for it. He grinned and rolled on his broom, coming right side up and tossing the ball to Ron. They went on like this for some time, before leaving the ball for a blinding game of follow the leader. Too soon it seemed, it was time to go in though. They were both sweating and panting as they replaced their brooms in the shed and headed back toward the house.

"I don't know about you mate, but I need a bloody shower before Hermione gets here," said Ron, trying hard to sound casual.

"Yeah, of course you do. Have to look your best for 'Mione after all," Harry snickered, giving his friend a bit of a shove. The only people who didn't realize that Ron and Hermione were crazy about each other, where Ron and Hermione themselves.

"What? No, I just don't want to smell up the kitchen at dinner," the redhead replied defensively. Why should he want to look good for Hermione? Well, that is, he didn't want to smell or anything, otherwise she might not want to sit near him. And he did so like it when she sat near him..

"Sure Ron, whatever you say," said Harry, rolling his eyes. He didn't really work up much of a sweat flying, he was always too relaxed, and the Firebolt was so responsive that he didn't really have to work that hard at it. He'd be okay just changing back into his other shirt. That was why he'd changed in the first place after all. "I'll see you downstairs in a bit then."

While Ron headed for the bathroom, his black haired friend went to find Mrs. Weasley to see if she needed any help in the kitchen. He had lots of experience cooking, having made the Dursleys their meals since he was old enough to hold a pan. Might as well put it to good use.

"Anything I can do to help, Mrs. Weasley?" he asked, stepping into her domain. She was waving her wand at a pot on the stove, while a pair of knives chopped vegetables off to her right. It was a sight to behold watching that woman in the kitchen.

"Not at all Harry dear, I've got everything under control. Did you and Ron have a nice time?" she asked, looking up from the bowl she was mixing to meet his emerald eyes.

"Sure did, thank you for letting me keep my broom here, by the way. Ron's taken excellent care of it," he said, smiling. "I'll just be in the living room if you need me, then."

"Okay dear," she said, turning her attention back to her biscuits.

A bit later Harry had finished both the Daily Prophet, and the Quibbler (which had a very interesting article about how to rid your broom of Three Toed Snorks) and was about to go up to his room and unpack a bit when he heard Mrs. Weasley yell.

"Ron! Harry! Hermione's here! Have either of you seen Ginny?" she asked, looking to Harry from the kitchen.

"Haven't seen her mum," said Ron before Harry could reply. He pounded down the stairs, grabbing the bespectacled youth, and pulling him outside to meet the third of their Trio.

"I haven't seen her either Mrs. Weasley," he said quickly, as he was rushed past the kitchen door. Which he found very odd, after all he would have thought Ginny would be ecstatic about having another girl in the house, besides her mum. Ah well, she probably got carried away shopping, at least that's what Ron had said she was doing. Who knew if he was right or not.

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Granger," he heard Ron's dad greet Hermione's parents. He must have gotten home from the Ministry just before they'd arrived. "So glad your daughter could come stay with us before school starts."

"Oh, she's been so excited, bustling around making sure she had everything for days now," said her mother, a small smile on her face. While their parents talked, the brown haired girl turned and greeted her friends. Mrs. Weasley joined them, and they greeted her before turning back to talk with the Grangers. Hermione waited until none of the adults were paying attention, then turned to her friends.

"Ronald!" she yelled, rushing over and hugging the shocked looking redhead. He hugged her awkwardly, blushing when she was pressed against him.

"Its Ron 'Mione," he said softly, his eyes locked on her's. Harry quirked an eyebrow at them, then cleared his throat, and laughed as they both jumped. He snickered, then hugged her as well, though much less awkwardly.

"Hey 'Mione, missed you these last few weeks," he said, grinning at her. Suddenly a red blur shot out from around the corner, crashing into Hermione and squealing.

"Hermione!" the blur yelled, hugging her as they both jumped up and down. Now that she was moving a bit slower, Harry realized that the blur was in fact Ginny. His heart seemed to stop, his blood freeze in his veins. She was gorgeous! Her hair was long and smooth, falling down her back in a wave of fire. He would swear he could see it smoldering, as if it could ignite at any moment. Hermione was saying something to her, though no words reached Harry. The only sound he could hear was the sound of his own heartbeat in his ears. Then her arms were around his neck.

"Harry, its good to see you too," she said, her voice a whisper against his neck. He flailed a bit before carefully returning the hug. What the hell was that?! He'd been thinking that she probably wouldn't speak to him. And while he was glad she was, what the hell was that? Then she was gone, back with Hermione. She looked great. Her shirt filled out perfectly, clinging just right to leave him wanting more, and he wouldn't even get started on her arse.. Just wow.

"Harry, stop staring at my little sister's arse and help me carry this stuff," growled Ron from beside him, crashing Harry back down to reality. He nodded dumbly, realizing that Mrs. Weasley must have asked them to help with the bags. As he turned to go he caught Ginny's eye one last time, and nearly fell on his face. Had she just winked at him? What the hell was going on? He picked his jaw up off the grass and hurried inside after Ron. He'd been wrong, it definitely would not be easier to not think about her, not if she looked like that all the time. Oh Merlin, this was going to be a long summer..

A/N: Two chapters in two days! I rock! I don't know if the whole story will continue like this, alternating between Ginny and Harry's perspectives, but right now I like it. I probably won't do too many chapters that overlap like these first two, but there was so much to cover, and since they were apart, it seemed like a good idea. Now that they're in the same place, it probably won't happen as much.

Thank you so much to those of you who've reviewed already! You guys are awesome, and I love you! If you haven't reviewed (and you know who you are) you should give it a shot. I don't bite, well not hard anyway, heh! Anyway, work happens early tomorrow, so I'm off to bed now. Enjoy!

Lots of love!

Vira Xyn


	3. The Best Laid Plans

A/N: That's right, 3 chapters in 3 days! Do you guys love me or what?! Thank you all for the reviews, please, keep them coming! They're how I know I'm on the right track. I've got a vague outline for this thing, but I'm mostly making it up on the fly. Reviews tell me where you want me to take it, whether you think I'm doing a good job, or if I need to change something. Well, enough begging for reviews, on to the..

Disclaimer: You know the drill. JK Rowling owns it all; I am but a humble fan! Now on with the show!

**Worth Waiting For**

**Chapter 3 – The Best Laid Plans**  
An Hp fanfiction by Vira Xyn

Morning came slowly to the Burrow. Molly was usually the first up, though on a rare occasion Arthur would beat her, if he had a meeting or some other business at the Ministry. As that was a fairly common occurrence these days, she wasn't at all surprised to see him getting ready to leave when she entered the kitchen.

"Hullo dear," he said, giving his wife a quick peck. He grabbed a biscuit from the night before and his briefcase. After checking that all was in order, he smiled at Molly again. "Have fun with the kids today. I should make it home in time for dinner tonight."

"Be careful Arthur, have a good day!" she said quickly, just as he apperated away. She sighed and went to work in the kitchen. Some eggs and bacon, maybe fresh biscuits, or waffles for breakfast, that sounded like something the kids would enjoy. She hummed a bit as she worked, waving her want at the stove and the ice chest. Eggs cracked themselves over a skillet; some bacon laid itself out on the griddle. She just hoped the children would get along. She was ever so worried about poor Ginny and Harry. She'd tried to be mad at Harry for breaking her little girl's heart, but she knew why he did it and the look in his eyes when he'd seen her this afternoon.. She just couldn't do it. The poor boy just wasn't allowed a moment's happiness. Molly sighed again, and went back to work on the food.

Ginny woke with a start. Harry was here! She'd hardly seen him last night, as had been her plan, but there would be no avoiding him today. Well, there would be some. She and Hermione were going to kick the boys out and have a bit of a girl's day, or at least morning. She needed time to explain the plan to her bushy haired friend. Originally Ginny had wanted to tell her last night, but they hadn't been allowed time alone until very late. By then they were both too tired to keep their eyes open, let alone plot and scheme. So today was the day that operation Win Back the Prat would commence.

The redhead whistled to herself as she hopped out of bed, grabbing a towel and some underwear (baby blue boyshorts, and a matching lacy bra. Very cute!) then headed for the shower. Living her whole life with six brothers had taught Ginny to be an early riser, so she beat the others easily. Once when she was eight, Fred and George had beaten her to the shower. Why they were in there together was anyone's guess, but that wasn't the point. They'd loaded the showerhead with this muggle drink called Warm-Ade, or something like that. It was this colored powder, so when she'd turned the water on, it had poured down and turned her blue. She'd screamed and run out of the bathroom, forgetting that she was also bare-ass nekkid. The twins had laughed so hard that even her mum grounding them for a month hadn't wiped the grins from their faces.

"Bloody gits," came a mutter from the shower as Ginny recalled the incident. She'd been in there for a good half-hour or so, and was now just enjoying the warm water beating down on her. She sighed, it was about time she got out and faced the day. She got dressed, realizing with a string of profanity that she'd forgotten to grab a clean shirt. "Shit, shit, shit! Well, I don't want to put on my dirty nightshirt.."

She wrapped the towel around her waist, trying to at least cover her knickers, and prepared to bolt for her room. Taking a deep breath, the flinging open the bathroom door, Ginny shot out of the bathroom. She was a blur going into her room and closing the door quickly. She'd been so intent on making it to her room, that she hadn't even noticed a very sleepy looking Harry Potter standing, and gaping suddenly not so sleepy, in his doorway. Leaning against the inside of her door, Ginny smiled, pleased that no one had seen her mistake. Okay, she might not have minded if Harry had seen her, but that would only be if they were a couple. Otherwise he was just some voyeuristic pervert, in other words, a boy. Dropping the towel from her waist, she pulled on an old comfy pair of jeans, and a light green t-shirt. The shirt was just a little tight, but not so bad as to make her look trashy. It just hugged her curves, and there was nothing wrong with that, after all.

Pulling her hair back into a loose ponytail, she opened her door and headed for Hermione's room. Once in the hall, she noticed that the shower was on.

"Whew, close call," she muttered, then knocked on Hermione's door. There was no answer, so she slipped the door open, creeping into the room. Sure enough, her friend was still sound asleep with a small smile on her face. As the red terror crept closer, she noticed that the sleeping girl was muttering softly. She stopped to listen for a moment.

"But.. Gotta study.." Ginny smiled, that was so typically Hermione. "Oh, okay.. Mmm, Ron."

"Oh Merlin, ew," she muttered, that was _not_ so typically Hermione. Ginny shook off her revulsion. It didn't matter how gross she thought it was, if her git of a brother made her happy, then that was all that mattered. Smiling once again, she crouched at the foot of Hermione's bed. An evil grin crossed her face as she whispered her name. "Hermione.. Hermione. C'mon 'Mione, time to wake up."

"Don't wanna.." came the muttered reply. Who knew that the always-perfect Hermione Granger would be so difficult to wake up? Oh well, it played that much better into Ginny's plans. Still grinning evilly, the youngest Weasley let out a cry, and leapt onto the bed, pouncing on her sleeping girl. "Eeeee! Wha? Who? Damnit to bloody hell, Ginny! What are you doing?"

"Such language young lady! Just think of my poor virgin ears," she said, giggling as her friend blushed furiously. She rolled from on top of her, lying down beside the still sleepy girl. She looked right into her brown eyes and grinned. "I came to wake you up, we're going to have a girl's day! Only problem is, you wouldn't wake up. I think you were having a good dream, or at least as good a dream as one can have muttering my idiot brother's name.."

"What? I wasn't.. That's ridiculous Ginny, you must have been hearing things," the brown haired girl stammered, her face turning as red as Ginny's hair. "I was actually dreaming of.. Homework! Yes, that's right."

"Sure you were," she said, rolling her eyes before hopping off the bed. She pulled the blankets off her friend, ignoring her shriek of protest. "Now c'mon, you've got to get cleaned up and dressed, then its breakfast, and gossip, and maybe we'll do our nails, and I'll tell you my plan to get Harry to stop being a stupid prat and get back together with me, and we'll do our hair, and compare clothes.."

"Wait, your plan to what?!" Hermione interrupted, stopping her friend in mid breath. Ginny just grinned, she was having too much fun with her still sleep addled friend. "Is this what you were talking about yesterday?"

"Sure is. If Harry thinks he can just break my heart and make me forget that I ever loved him, he's got another thing coming," she said, not paying close attention to her choice of words.

"You love him?" Hermione said softly, all anger at her friend's rude wake-up call forgotten. She'd never heard Ginny say that before. She'd guessed sure, but to hear her say it was something else.

"Yeah, I do. More than anything in this world," came an equally soft reply. Ginny's face had gone soft thinking about it, and she had a far off look in her big brown eyes. Suddenly she remembered that she was trying to get Hermione out of bed, and grabbed her pillow, batting at her with it. "I'll tell you all about it later. Right now, you get your arse into the shower!"

"Alright, alright I'm going," her friend said, giggling as Ginny smacker her across the butt with the pillow.

"Damn right you are."

Sometime later, Ginny and Hermione tromped downstairs, drawn by the delicious aroma of Mrs. Weasley's cooking. Harry had gotten out of the shower while Ginny had been getting Hermione up, and he was already at the table when they sat down.

"Morning mum, morning Harry," she said pleasantly, taking some bacon and eggs for her plate.

"Good morning dears!" Mrs. Weasley's voice called from the kitchen.

"Good morning Mrs. Weasley," called Hermione as she too shoveled eggs and bacon onto her plate. She would swear that she'd never left the Burrow without having put on weight. She'd actually been on a diet since school got out, just to prepare for her stay! "Good morning Harry, sleep well?"

"Sure did 'Mione, I always sleep better here," the dark haired boy replied. He smiled at her, and then at Ginny, though a bit awkwardly it seemed. "Morning Ginny."

"So what are you girls going to do today?" asked Mrs. Weasley as she set two glasses of juice in front of the newcomers.

"Well, Hermione and I were thinking of having a bit of a girl's day, you know, to catch up with each other," she replied once she'd cleared her mouth of bacon.

"That sounds lovely dear. I'll tell you what, don't tell Ron and Harry, but I'll make sure to keep them busy with chores today," said her mum, winking at them. She turned and smiled sheepishly at Harry. "Sorry Harry dear."

"Its okay Mrs. Weasley, you know I like to help out. Just don't tell Ron," he said with a smile. He really didn't mind helping. It was so much better than slaving for his aunt and uncle, or avoiding his idiot cousin. Just then a voice came from the steps.

"Don't tell Ron what?" came the sleepy question, followed shortly by the youngest Weasley male. Ginny groaned inwardly, leave it to Ron to have the perfect worst timing.

"Oh, well.. They didn't want me to tell you that Ginny and Hermione would be getting to stay inside and clean, while you and I had to do chores outside," Harry said quickly, looking to Mrs. Weasley for support. Ginny just looked on in amazement as he lied to his best mate so that she and Hermione could have a day to themselves.

"Well.. I suppose we can let it go this time mate," said Ron, giving Harry a conspiratorial wink when he thought that they weren't looking. Everyone knew he hated to clean indoors when he could be outside instead. Only he didn't know that everyone knew that. "What all do you need us to do mum?"

"Well, I need you to degnome the garden, the broom shed needs to be painted, and if you have time there are some Horsnaps in the western patty. I could really use two or three, I'm nearly out," she said. Horsnap added a great kick to food when it was dried and ground. They were notoriously difficult to catch though.

"Guess you'll get to put those Seeker skills to work this summer," the red headed boy said to Harry, who was looking amused. "What's so blood funny?"

"Ronald, language!" his mother snapped, before getting up and heading for the kitchen. She couldn't believe Harry was sticking up for Hermione and Ginny. She was grinning by the time she got to the counter and started cleaning up.

"Well, I suppose we should get started," Harry and Ron left the table and headed outside. Hermione looked at Ginny, and they both grinned.

"They'll be out there all day! I can't believe Harry did that, it was so sweet of him," cried Ginny, before she caught herself.

"You've got it bad for him, don' you?" her friend asked, smiling to herself.

"Always have, always will. Now if I could just make him see that," she said softly, looking up at Hermione. "I miss him so much 'Mione. I know he thinks he's doing what's best, but why does it have to hurt so much?"

"Come on, let's head upstairs to continue this. We wouldn't want tweedle-dee and tweedle-dum to walk in and hear us," Hermione said, taking her friend's hand. They ran up to Ginny's room, locking the door after them. Hermione winked and added silencing and privacy spells to the room. "Now, tell me all about this plan of yours. What are you going to do about Harry?"

"Well, the first thing is.. And I'm not supposed to know this, but I was kind of near by listening in on you guys one day," Ginny started before Hermione cut her off.

"You were eavesdropping, you little sneak!" Hermione yelled, hitting her with a pillow. Ginny retaliated, and soon a miniature pillow fight broke out. After a few minutes the duo lay on the floor, panting and laughing. "I can't believe you were spying on us!"

"I wasn't really spying, I mean, I didn't mean to. I was just walking, and I heard Harry.. This was after he broke up with me, so I didn't want to see him. I just stayed behind you guys. It's not my fault you were whispering so loud," she said, finally sitting up but still smiling. "Anyway, I heard about your plan next year. I know you're thinking about not going back to Hogwarts."

Hermione felt like a bomb had gone off in her stomach. Ginny knew? But if Ginny knew, then Mrs. Weasley probably knew, and if she knew, then her mum probably knew.. And her mum would kill her!

"Hermione, relax! You're hyperventilating. I didn't tell anyone. To be honest, I think it's a stupid idea, but I understand why you want to do it. You just want to get this whole thing over with, and I can understand that, really! I just don't get why you have to go away to do it," she said, her voice serious. She hadn't really wanted to get into this with her friend, but she had to make Hermione understand. She wasn't even really mad at them, that famous Weasley temper hadn't really flared at all. Well except for that one part. "What I don't get, and this is the part that makes me mad, is why you can't tell anyone. Why you couldn't tell me! Why the big secret, okay yeah, so old Dark Lord Arse-face doesn't find out, sure. But what about the people we know we can trust? What about the Order?"

"They'd try to stop us Gin," her friend said softly, unable to look her in the eyes. "They'd say we're too young, even though some of them were barely older than us when they fought him the first time. You'd try to stop Harry. Don't deny it, I'm not the brightest girl in my year for nothing. You'd tell him not to go, and damnit Ginny, he'd listen. He'd do anything for you, and he'd do anything not to see you get hurt."

"But that's just it Hermione, I'm already a target!" she said, exasperated. "I've been a target since my first year, when I got possessed by that sodding diary. Tom knows I'm against him, and he has a connection to me, just like he does Harry. He probably knows about my relationship, if you can call it that as short as it was, with Harry. The Greasy Git probably told him everything by now, probably been reporting on us all along!"

"We don't know that, and Harry just wants you safe!" Hermione had a point, but she was also beginning to crack. She could see Harry's point of view, but she could understand Ginny's. How would she feel if Ron told her that he didn't want to be with her (Well.. Hypothetically, since they weren't together anyway. Much to her growing disappointment.) or that she had to stay home while he and Harry went off to defeat V-Vol-Voldemort by themselves?

"I've never been safe Hermione! Never!" she cried, before calming down and continuing. "Anyway, it doesn't matter, because I know I can win that one. It's the part about you all leaving, and leaving me behind that puts a stop in my path. Why do you have to go?"

"Because we need to end it. The longer we wait, the more chances there are that V-Voldemort will notice something's wrong. We have to destroy these things, these.. Well, I can't tell you about them. Don't give me that look Ginerva Weasley! I can't tell you. It's too dangerous! But there are these things, and there are seven of them. We've destroyed two already, and we have a good lead on two more. But the longer we wait, the more likely it is that Voldemort will find out that they're gone, and move the remaining ones. And he can't be defeated until they're all gone," she said, hoping it was enough, but not too much. Ginny didn't need to know that one had cost Dumbledore his hand, and the last one was the Dark Git himself. Unfortunately for Hermione, the little fireball in front of her was pretty quick herself.

"The diary!" she whispered excitedly. "That was one of them, wasn't it?"

"Yes," Hermione said softly.

"Well then I don't think you have to worry about old Moldemort finding out about them," she said confidently. Hermione was giving her a confused look. Honestly for someone so smart, she could be extremely daft sometimes. "It's been five years 'Mione! I think he would have caught on by now! Besides, you said you'd destroyed another as well? So that had to have happened well over a month ago, plenty of time for even a twat like Voldemort to have gotten into gear and moved them."

Hermione was dumbstruck. All this time she'd been trying to think of a way to talk Ron and Harry out of leaving. A way to stay in school, which every fiber of her being insisted on, but still finish the battle. What did a bit of time matter, if he hadn't caught on in five years! It had been staring her in the face all this time.

"I must have flobberworm for brains Gin," she whispered, still in shock.

"No, you just forget how much of a genius I am," the little red wonder replied, grinning at her. Now it was time to drop the bomb. "So if you don't need to leave school, and I'm already in danger just because of who I am, and who my family and friends are, why can't Harry and I be happy together?"

The situation was finally sinking in for Hermione, and as her friend finished, dawn seemed to spread across her face.

"There isn't any reason Gin. No bloody reason at all," she whispered. Ginny smirked at her.

"I think my brother is rubbing off on you, such language," she said, taking her friend's hand. Something had just dawned on her, why was she the only one who got to be happy? "Maybe my plan needs a bit of a modification though."

"What? No Ginny, you're right. We were wrong, its that simple," her friend started to argue, but Ginny cut her off.

"Oh, I know that. What I mean is, why should I be the only one to get the guy?" she said cryptically, then waited. Any moment now, and.. There it was! Realization blossomed on Hermione's face, and Ginny let out a giggle. "There's my smart girl! Instead of me driving Harry crazy all summer, then asking him to the Halloween Ball, by the way did you get the letter about that? The one telling us to bring dress robes again, something about 'bringing up student moral'? Brilliant if you ask me, anyway. Now, we'll drive our boys crazy, together!"

"Ginny, you're the best friend I've ever had," Hermione said, her voice soft and serious. Ginny looked at her, as an evil grin worthy of the redheaded devil herself spread over her friend's face. "Lets make sure they can't take their bloody eyes off of us!"

"That's my girl!" Cried Ginny, grabbing Hermione's hands as they both giggled and bounced up and down. Then she broke away, pulling a box from beneath her bed. She opened it to reveal all manner of enchanted nail polishes, charmed make up, and various other magical beauty products. "Now, I believe we have a girl's day to attend to!"

A/N: Wow, so here's another one down! After some positive reviews, I've decided that I'm going to try and keep the alternating style. It's a really fun way to write, because I can have some little thing happen from one's perspective, and then tell it from the other, and have it be a big deal! Hee hee! Anyway, keep those reviews coming, and I'll keep the chapters coming!

Thank you so much to those of you who've reviewed already, I love you all! I've already got a bit of Chapter 4 started, so hopefully it won't be too long until I have it up. So far I've been sitting down and writing these in marathon sessions. I'm going to try to have chapter 4 up before the weekend, and then I might take a break before picking it back up on Monday.

Lots of love,

Vira Xyn

PS- To the person who pointed out that Ginny's hair was already long.. Its an AU, so its just.. uh.. Creative license! Yeah that's it! blush sorry.. I just wanted her hair to be longer than it was, but since it was already long in the books, I took a bit of liberty with it. Please forgive me!


	4. Discussions While Degnoming

A/N: Sorry this took so long, my muse was on vacation. Right, now that that's out of the way, on with the..

Disclaimer: You know I don't own this. All these wonderful characters belong to JK Rowling, who was kind enough to grace us with their creation! Yay JK!

**Worth Waiting For**

**Chapter 4- Debates While Degnoming**

An HP fanfiction by Vira Xyn

Harry had woken to the sound of the shower running. He didn't really think anyone else would be up as early as he would, but he figured maybe Mr. or Mrs. Weasley had gotten up early. Never a late sleeper, as it wasn't allowed at the Dursley's, he lie in bed until he heard the shower turn off. The raven haired youth put his glasses on, then grabbed a pair of clean boxers, and pulled on some loose grey sweatpants before pulling open his door. He was about to step out, when a red blur shot by him. A red blur with a rather lacy looking streak of blue on her top, he realized with a blush. They hadn't really been dating long enough to get very far, and in fact had only even kissed a few times. It was hard to sneak away for a good snog when you're Harry Potter, and your girlfriend is the little sister of Ron Weasley. So needless to say, the sight of Ginny in her underwear was something that Harry wasn't expecting, nor used to.

He slowly shook himself out of his stupor, and continued on for the bathroom, praying that Ginny hadn't noticed him. If she had.. Oh, that would be trouble. He had to think of something, some excuse, or he was a dead man. It wouldn't really do to have the famous Weasley temper aimed at him because he'd accidentally seen his ex in her knickers.

"I was still blurry from lack of sleep, yeah that's it! Couldn't see a bloody thing," he said aloud, quite proud of himself and his lie. It was perfect, hell he could even say that his glasses hadn't quite been on right. That was even better! He smiled, confident in his safety now, and headed for the shower. Within minutes he had finished and was attempting to tame his hair. As usual his dark locks would have none of it, and he finished with the same unruly mess he's started with. "Stupid bloody hair.. Ah well, not like I'm not used to it by now. Best get down to breakfast or Ron won't leave me with anything to eat."

"Good morning Harry, dear," said Mrs. Weasley as she set a plate of bacon on the table. She smiled and turned back toward the kitchen without really waiting for his reply.

"Morning Mrs. Weasley," he said as he took in the dining room. Amazingly, Harry was the first one down to the table. He plopped down in a seat and quickly filled his plate, knowing that he'd be very lucky to get seconds. At that moment Ginny and Hermione came bounding down the stairs. Well, Ginny bounded, Hermione came down at more of a leisurely stroll, but that wasn't the point. The point was that, for the second time in as many days, Harry's breath caught in his throat. He sputtered for a moment, then finally managed to breathe again right as Ginny said good morning.

"Morning mum, morning Harry," the lithe redhead greeted as she sat down. Harry was still having trouble believing that she was actually speaking to him, let alone being so nice. Maybe they'd be able to salvage a friendship out of this after all. He knew it would be more than he deserved, but a guy can hope, right?

"Good morning dears!" Mrs. Weasley's voice called from the kitchen. Ginny had, by this time, finished loading her plate. She tucked in with an appetite that might well put even Ron to shame. He just smiled, and grabbed an extra piece of bacon.

"Good morning Mrs. Weasley," called Hermione as she too shoveled eggs and bacon onto her plate. For the first time this summer Harry got a good look at Hermione. The girl was really coming into her own, and was actually looking like a girl for a change. Not that his self-proclaimed sister had ever looked bad, but he was surprised to see that the girl was actually wearing a bit of makeup! Between that and a white blouse that just barely hugged her sides, even Ron would be hard pressed not to notice the normally mousy girl. "Good morning Harry, sleep well?"

"Sure did 'Mione, I always sleep better here," he replied, smiling at her. Finally, and more than a bit awkwardly, he turned to the table's other occupant. "Morning Ginny."

"So what are you girls going to do today?" asked Mrs. Weasley as she set two glasses of juice in front of the two girls, as Harry already had one. Right now, the Boy-Who-Lived was just glad that Mrs. Weasley seemed blissfully ignorant of his awkwardness where her only daughter was concerned. Whatever hard feelings the Weasley matriarch had concerning their breakup seemed to have been forgotten.

"Well, Hermione and I were thinking of having a bit of a girl's day, you know, to catch up with each other," came Ginny's reply, between bites of bacon and biscuits. That was interesting, and a good idea, thought the dark haired soon to be seventeen year-old. He hoped that their breakup wouldn't hurt Ginny's friendship with his bushy haired pseudo-sister. It would be just like Hermione to try and make everyone happy at the expense of being happy herself. Of course, it would be just like him too, but Harry wasn't thinking about that.

"That sounds lovely Ginny. I'll tell you what, don't tell Ron and Harry, but I'll make sure to keep them busy with chores today," said Mrs. Weasley, as she winked at them. She turned and smiled sheepishly at Harry. "Sorry Harry dear."

"Its okay Mrs. Weasley, you know I like to help out. Just don't tell Ron," he said with a smile. He really didn't mind helping. It was so much better than slaving for his aunt and uncle, or avoiding his idiot cousin. Just then a voice came from the steps.

"Don't tell Ron what?" his best friend asked with a yawn. Harry groaned inwardly, only Ron could have timed his entrance that perfectly without ever meaning to. His mind was whirling, trying to come up with an excuse. He really wanted for Ginny to have a good day, and he knew Ron would ruin it if the boy knew she would be relaxing while he was outside working. Ron was a good friend, but sometimes he could be extraordinarily thick. Finally he locked onto a good excuse.

"Oh, well.. They didn't want me to tell you that Ginny and Hermione would be getting to stay inside and clean, while you and I had to do chores outside," he answered quickly, looking to Mrs. Weasley for support. He missed Ginny's look as he hoped his best mate wouldn't catch the lie.

"Well.. I suppose we can let it go this time mate," said Ron, giving him a conspiratorial wink when he thought that they weren't looking. Everyone knew he hated to clean indoors when he could be outside instead. Only he didn't know that everyone knew that. "What all do you need us to do mum?"

"Well, I need you to degnome the garden, the broom shed needs to be painted, and if you have time there are some Horsnaps in the western patty. I could really use two or three, I'm nearly out," she said. Horsnap added a great kick to food when it was dried and ground. They were notoriously difficult to catch though.

"Guess you'll get to put those Seeker skills to work this summer," Harry was trying desperately not to laugh at the triumphant look on Ron's face as he turned toward him to speak. It was lucky that his friend was so thick sometimes. As he snickered a bit at this, Ron finally noticed that something was up. "What's so blood funny?"

"Ronald, language!" snapped Mrs. Weasley. This just made Harry laugh harder. Ginny was smiling softly as well, her eyes twinkling with amusement. Harry did his best not to shiver as she looked at him. That twinkle made all the work he'd be doing this afternoon worth it to him.

"Well, I suppose we should get started," he said to Ron as he picked up his plate. Though he was the last one down, the youngest Weasley boy had been the first one finished with his breakfast. Not that anyone was surprised. They deposited their dished in the kitchen, then went up to change. "So what should we do first mate?"

"I think the shed first, then the garden. It'll be fun catching the little bastards after how boring the shed will be," his friend said with a grin. They'd both put on tattered old jeans and while Ron had pulled out a faded Chudley Cannons t-shirt, Harry himself had simply taken off his t-shirt in favor of the muscle shirt he had on under it.

"Finish it out with the Horsnaps then?" he asked with a grin as he already knew the answer. Of course Ron would think that anything that got him on a broom would be the best part and should be saved for last. Not that Harry disagreed of course.

"Definitely finish with the Horsnaps," he smiled and headed for the door. As soon as they got to the broom shed, he had an idea. Grinning he spun toward Ron. "Hey, you wanna try out my Firebolt when we go after the Horsnaps?"

"W-w-what? Yeah! Are you sure you trust me with it?" his red haired friend sputtered, not sure if he believed him.

"Of course I trust you with it Ron, besides you'd kill yourself if anything happened to it and save me the trouble," he grinned as his friend turned green, but slapped him on the shoulder. "I'm just messing with you mate."

"Yeah, yeah of course you are. Bloody hell," he muttered, rubbing his shoulder where he'd been hit. Harry pulled several buckets of paint from the shed, as well as a couple brushes. Soon they were painting and laughing, telling jokes and comparing notes on the girls at school. Just like normal teenage boys. For a few blissful hours, both boys managed to forget the coming battle, and the hardships they would soon be facing. Before they knew it they were finishing up the shed, and Mrs. Weasley was calling them in for lunch.

"You know, this would be so much easier if we were allowed to use magic," Ron whined, wiping sweat from his brow as the trudged inside.

"Yeah, but what fun would that be?" said Harry sarcastically as he too tried to cool off and clean up a bit before they ate. He had been sweating heavily in the summer sun. Even his usually untamable hair was damp enough that it stayed down, nearly clinging to his head. He pushed his glasses back up his nose and gave a toothy grin. "Besides, this'll just make getting on our brooms later that much more worth it!"

Ron just rolled his eyes at the bespectacled youth and dried his hands, heading for the table. A moment later Mrs. Weasley joined them, informing them that the girls had already eaten.

"I didn't want you boys to have to stop in the middle of painting," she said with a small smile, giving Harry a conspiratorial wink when Ron wasn't looking.

"Oh, well thank you Mrs. Weasley," he replied with a smile. The girls just didn't want to get caught out by Ron. Well that was fine with him, and he hoped they were having a good time. Soon enough lunch was finished, sooner still for Ron who had practically inhaled three sandwiches, and they were headed back outside.

"I hate gnomes," muttered Ron as they approached the garden. The gnomes had heard them coming, and had apparently decided to make it a battle, because as they approached they were bombarded with tiny rocks and a few berries. "Bloody hell!"

"Cheeky little bastards, aren't they?" asked Harry, laughing as Ron took a berry in the nose, turning it a bright red. He was about to make a smart remark, when a trio of rocks hit his nose, causing him to swear in pain.

"Not so funny now, are they?" asked Ron, his voice smug. He ducked as a pointed twig flew his way, and began looking for a stick of his own.

"Let's get the little tossers!" said Harry, waving a branch over his head in mock rage. The two boys began a grueling war of attrition against the gnomes, dodging most of the things thrown at them, although they both took several more hits before the afternoon was over. They soon fell into a steady rhythm as Ron would smack a gnome into the air, where Harry would either grab it, or smack it across the yard with his own stick. Soon the two were laughing again and had made something of a game of it, seeing which could hit the poor creatures further. At one point, Harry looked up just in time to catch a glimpse of red in one of the windows. He pondered this for a moment, then grinned and waved as he realized it was Ginny. Ron rolled his eyes, but took the opportunity to ask a question that had been bothering him for a while now.

"So, what's up with you and my sister mate?" he said, trying to keep his voice casual, though he knew it wasn't a casual subject. Harry visibly winced and tried to cover it with a laugh.

"What do you mean? There's nothing up with us Ron, we broke up remember?" he said, attempting to will away the blush that was threatening to overtake him. Just what he didn't need was Ron playing overprotective brother right now. He was still hanging on the hope that maybe he and Ginny could still be friends, but if Ron decided that he was only going to hurt her again, he'd never have that chance.

"Don't give me that, I know I'm a bit thick when it comes to girls, but I'm not stupid Harry," the youngest Weasley boy said, the humor dropping from his voice. "I've seen you looking at her. It's the same way I look at Herm.. Uh.. A really good sandwich?"

"A really good.. What?!" Harry nearly fell over laughing, and the gnome that had just been launched at him took its chance, snapping at his shoulder. The raven-haired boy recovered, tossing the gnome across the yard, then turned back to his friend. "Tell me you did not just compare the way I look at Ginny to you looking at food. Better yet, why don't you just own up and admit that you were going to say Hermione!"

"What! I wasn't going to say anything of the sort! And don't try to change the subject, you just admitted you're looking at my sister!" He cried, pointed at Harry. The supposedly 'Chosen One' just shook his head, torn between laughing at his friend, and screaming at his own bad luck.

"I'll tell you what's going on, not that I'm saying anything is, but I'll tell you when you admit that you fancy 'Mione!" The other boy replied, trying to get Ron to let him off the hook. It nearly worked too, except that after gaping like a fish for a few moments, his red haired friend looked down and muttered something. "What was that Ron? I didn't catch that."

"I said I fancy Hermione. There, you happy now?" His friend snapped, turning away from him.

"No mate, I'll be happy when you tell here that," Harry said softly, standing next to his friend. He smiled a little. "At least you've admitted it to yourself though. Now you just have to tell her."

"I will mate. I will. I'm not going to let what happened at the Yule Ball happen again. She's not second choice, she's never been. I just don't have the stones to admit it to her. What if she doesn't like me? I mean, I know we're friends, but she's always been closer to you. Then there's that bastard Krum," he trailed off, kicking at a gnome who'd gotten brave and tried to stab his foot with a makeshift trident.

"First of all, don't worry about Viktor. She just went with him to make you jealous," Harry replied, a small smile on his face. It was about damn time Ron did something about his crush on Hermione. "Second, 'Mione is like my sister Ron, and I know she feels the same way. Hell, we don't do it in front of people 'cause it's a little odd, but when we owl each other she even calls me her brother. I do the same, call her my sister I mean. Face it mate, the girl fancies you. Now you just need to tell her that you feel the same."

"Yeah, I know I do. Sooner better than later, right?" he smiled at last, looking at his best friend.

"Damn right mate!" Harry said, cuffing his shoulder again, a large grin on his face.

"Don't think you're off the hook just because I've spilled my heart out all over the lawn," Harry's grin suddenly faltered and he nearly tripped over a gnome that was stumbling back to the garden, knocking the abused creature back across the yard.

"Of course not, why would I think that? Ginny, and me what's going on? To be honest mate, I don't bloody well know. I thought I'd done the right thing, getting away from her. I thought I'd be keeping her safe," he said, all humor gone from his face. Ron had turned on him, a scowl cutting across his features, then softening as Harry finished.

"I know mate, she means a lot to you, doesn't she?" he said, the anger wasn't gone, but it was softer now. He understood his friend's plight (he really wasn't as thick as he seemed sometimes) though that didn't mean he had liked him hurting his sister.

"Yeah Ron, she does. I'd die if she got hurt because of me. She can hate me, scream at me, hit me, curse me, hell I'd take one of her famous Bat Bogey hexes if it would keep her safe. The problem is now I'm here, and she's here, and I just want to hold her again," his voice was barely a whisper by the time he'd finished.

"C'mon mate, that's my sister you're talking about getting cuddly with. I don't want to hear about it," his friend said, though there was humor rather than malice in his voice. Something about Harry's words had forced him to reevaluate his position on the boy's relationship with his sister. Not that Ron wanted anyone to be getting cuddly with Ginny, or (Merlin forbid) snogging her! But if it had to be someone, he was starting to realize that Harry might be the best choice. "I suppose I know the feeling though. Not for my sister, get your damn mind out of the gutter Potter!"

"It can't happen though. I don't even know if I'll survive the next year, and I can't risk Voldeshorts coming down on her because of me," he said, a hard determination crossing his eyes. "I can't stop you and 'Mione from coming with you, you've both made that clear. But if we're not together, then Ginny has no reason to go with us, so she'll be safe."

"'No reason to go'? So she's not your friend then? She's just another quick snog for the great Boy-Who-Lived?" Ron's voice was cold as he said it, and even though he was expecting the reaction, he still took a step back as Harry turned on him. His green eyes were burning as they locked on his best friend. Ron smiled nervously as he backed up a pace trying to get away from the vehemence in that emerald gaze. "See Harry, that's the reaction I knew I'd get. She is your friend; even someone as daft as me can see it. You two are almost as close as you and Hermione, though I don't think you'll ever be seeing Ginny as a sister."

"You're right Ron, she is my friend, and she would try to come with us. Which is why we can't tell her when we go," he said, the sudden cold rage that had filled him upon hearing his friend's words leaving him. He knew Ron was right, she would want to go, and he wouldn't be able to say no to her. That was the other reason he'd broken up with her. If Ginny had asked him to stay, to not leave to look for the last Horcruxes, and to instead go back to Hogwarts for his seventh year, there was no way he could say no to her. "I just hope she'll forgive me someday."

"You and me both mate," said Ron as he pulled the last of the gnomes from the garden. It was getting on in the afternoon, though it was still hot, and both boys were ready to get onto something more fun. Both physically and mentally. "So, you still want to let me ride you're Firebolt?"

"You're impossible mate!" Harry laughed as they headed for the shed. He suddenly realized that his broom wasn't in the shed yet, and turned to Ron. "My Firebolt's still in the house, how about I meet you back on the Pitch?"

"Sounds good," came the muffled reply as Ron dug through the disaster of the broom shed, looking for his Cleansweep. Harry smiled and took off at a run, quickly reaching the door to the Burrow. He passed through the dining room and headed up the stairs to his room. His broom was resting lovingly on its stand (a gift from Remus for his last birthday) as he entered the room. He grabbed it along with a t-shirt, knowing that he'd get cold quickly as they flew, and headed back into the hall. He was almost to the stairs, taking a much more leisurely pace now, when something pushed him against the wall. Before he knew what was happening, a pair of small arms had wrapped themselves around his neck, and a pair of lips had pressed themselves against his own.

It took only a moment for Harry to realize what was going on, as he took in the lithe form pressed against him, the fiery red hair that filled his vision, and the perfect full lips that always made his heart skip a beat. Ginny was kissing him! Had hell just frozen over? Was he hallucinating? Was this some kind of horrible/wonderful dream? After what seemed like forever, but was probably less than a second, he decided that he didn't care if it was a dream. But as fate would have it (Harry wasn't sure what he'd done to piss fate off, but he was sure it must have been awful) just as he began to kiss her back, she pulled away. She slipped away from him, flashing an impish grin at him as she did.

"Welcome back Harry," she whispered, then turned and slipped into her room, leaving a gaping and entirely dumbstruck last of the Potters in her wake. After several minutes Harry finally managed to form a coherent thought. The first of which happened to be what the bloody hell?!

"What the bloody hell?!" he vocalized, his brain and mouth seeming to be in complete agreement. Ginny had just kissed him, or at least he was pretty sure that's what had happened. He recapped events in his head. Got Firebolt, pushed into wall by red haired beauty, snogged senseless. Yep, that was the chain of events all right. Well, one could hardly call one kiss being 'snogged senseless' but when that one kiss is the one thing you want more than anything else in the world, it doesn't take much to leave one senseless. Shaking his head in an effort to clear it, Harry finally turned to go back outside, only to stumble and proceed to roll down the stairs. "Ow."

Finally outside (and having decided that the Weasleys have too many stairs) Harry mounted his broom and took off for the Pitch, where Ron was waiting. The fall down the stairs had cleared his head a bit, well that or he was concussed and not thinking clearly, either way he'd managed to come to the conclusion that what had happened couldn't possibly have happened and that he must have been hallucinating. The fact that he could still feel Ginny's lips pressed against his own not withstanding. He waved at Ron as he approached the Pitch, dismounting from his broom as he got closer to the ground.

"Here you go mate, treat her right," he said, ignoring the fact that it had taken him much longer than it should have to run in and get his broom.

"I-I will!" Ron replied, awestruck enough by the Firebolt that he didn't even seem to notice his friend's tardiness. He mounted the broom cautiously, as if it might buck out from under him if he moved wrong. Once settled he looked at Harry as if for permission. Green eyes twinkling a bit, Harry nodded, laughing aloud when his friend shot off giving a yelp of surprise at the unexpected acceleration. Shaking his head, he too took off.

The Cleansweep wasn't anywhere near his Firebolt, but it still wasn't a bad broom, coming in close to his old Nimbus 2000. Before long the two boys where circling and diving, whooping and laughing as they chased the Horsnaps around the patty. After a little more than an hour they'd managed to catch three, and decided it was time to head in. Mrs. Weasley would be calling for dinner soon. As they landed Ron reluctantly handed the Firebolt back to Harry.

"That broom is bloody amazing," he said, awe filling his voice. He took his Cleansweep back with only a bit of a sorrowful look. "Don't know what I'd do with it though, I'm rubbish at Seeking, and not much better as a Chaser. Keeper doesn't really need the speed, though a bit of that amazing handling would be alright."

"Yeah, it's a great broom," Harry agreed proudly. A thought crossed his mind, and he wondered if his friend had heard the news yet. "You about that Japanese broom maker though? Um, I forget what the company name is, but they've got a new broom! I think it was called the Kurokaze? They claim it'll put even the Firebolt to shame."

"Oh! I did hear about that, can't wait to see one. I think Quality Quidditch Supplies was going to be getting some in later this week, we should go see. Who knows, maybe the famous Gryffindor Seeker could even arrange to try one out," he said with a wink.

"Might finally get some good out of all this stupid fame," muttered Harry, but smiling as he did so. They'd reached the Burrow just as Mrs. Weasley was finishing dinner. She smiled at the boys, but quickly ushered them upstairs to clean up. Ginny and Hermione were already in the living room, cleaned up and waiting to be called to the table. Well, Ron assumed they were already cleaned up, Harry knew better. His heart had skipped a beat when he'd seen Ginny, and he'd tripped over the rug when she winked at him, running into Ron's backside.

"Whoa, you okay Harry? Watch your step mate," the taller boy said, helping his friend up, oblivious to the reason for his fall.

"Yeah, I-I'm okay," Harry said, casting a nervous glance at the small redheaded girl, who was now talking to Hermione as if nothing had happened. He gave his head a shake, and continued upstairs. He was trying hard to pretend that he couldn't still feel her lips on his own.

A/N: And there it is! Harry's first day at the Burrow, and what a day it was. Hopefully my next chapter will be along soon. My mused is back to kicking my arse as usual, so maybe it won't take as long this time. If you'd like to give me some incentive, I'd love it if you could take just a moment and review this story. It's a little disheartening to see that with over 800 hits I've only had 9 reviews.. Show your love, tell me what you'd like different, or just say 'Hi.' Reviews let me know you're there!

Anyway, 'til next time!

Lots of Love!

Vira Xyn


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